The Inca Lagoon and Wine Tasting!
Now we’re talkin! Finally, some wine tasting in South America. Although I’m not a big fan of Malbec wine, I hear that Chile has some excellent Syrah and Chardonnay. Today we’ll find out. Once the wine tasting is done, we’re off to the Andes to a ski area (yes, snow skiing in Chile) where we will have lunch and check out Laguna del Inca.
First, wine tasting! Our guide and driver loaded us up around 7:30am to head north of Santiago to the valley of Aconcagua, where we will do our tasting. The drive is about 1.5hrs through mostly arid land until we reach the other side of the coastal mountains. There the landscape changes to more agrarian with acres of table grapes being grown along both sides of the highway. Not until we descend further into the valley do the grape vineyards change. At last, we’re in the wine growing region of this valley, one of four surrounding Santiago.
Monument to the last battle fought against the Spanish
The Andes
The road to the wine country
Our stop is at In Situ vineyards, a rather large winery covering many hectares of land. Our guide assembled an area where we could sample three wines while having a few appetizers. The wines, a chardonnay, a Syrah, and a carmenere. Never heard of a carmenere? It’s a grape that suffered root fungus in France and is all but extinct there now. During the fungus plague some plants were salvaged and sent to Chile to try to grow there. They did. Now Chile has a very thriving camenere wine industry.
Syrah grapes
For myself, the Syrah and chardonnay were the best, we even bought a bottle of each. The camenere had a bit of peppery taste that I didn’t appreciate. If you can find it in your local store, give it a try, you may like it.
Laura checking out the wine table
Our friends Kevin & Laura
Back on the van we’re off to Inca Lagoon, about another 1.5hrs from the winery. The road to this area, the Padillo ski area, is also one of the roads that cross the border into Argentina. Lots of truck traffic and just like home, road construction. And one of the most impressive sights along the way is the winding road that climbs out of the valley to the ski area. This famous road has been photographed by hundreds of tourists trying to capture the climb and the 28 curvas it takes to get to the top.
The long and winding road!
Once at the top, the views of the rugged Andes mountains and this beautiful lake are amazing. Trying to imagine where the ski runs go is a bit challenging but not as challenging as skiing down these hills would be! Pretty steep mountain sides that lead down to the bottom of the hill look to be black diamond runs at best. Nothing my buddy Doug couldn’t handle!
After lunch we all assembled outside for 2-300 photos of this beautiful lake in the middle of the mountains. Of course, the lake has a legend. Inca legend says that long ago, in a galaxy far away, an Incan Prince was in love with the most beautiful woman in the empire. They decide to marry but during the ceremony, she falls to her death. The prince is distraught. He decides that the only site worthy of her beauty is the lake so that’s where she is buried. Her body is wrapped in white linen and placed in the water. As she descends into the lake, it magically turns an emerald blue, the color of the princess’ eyes. Some say at night they can hear the cries of the prince as he calls to his beloved. We didn’t hear anything, just to be clear.
Inca Lagoon
The rugged Andes mountain range
Good day of wine tasting and seeing the Inca lagoon. Now the long drive back to Santiago. Tomorrow is the ocean cities of Vina del Mar and Valparaiso. Hasta luego, amigos.
A local, just hanging out